Frequesntly asked Questions and Answers

1. Do mine detection dogs or handlers ever get hurt.

Only when the handlers are careless and allow their dogs to chase other animals in the mine field, or push their dogs to clear too many boxes in one day. None of our dogs or handler were ever hurt.

2. How do MDD dogs find the mines.

The dogs are trained to recognize the molecular signature seeping from the ground. The mine can be as much as 10 cm or more under ground and be buried 2 yrs or more. They are still dangerous.

3. I have heard that dogs can find trip wires and booby traps.

I am assuming you are talking about homemade pressure plates. The dog is trained to relate all these traps to explosives and warn the dog handler. The dogs are trained to search at a slow and steady speed, so that he doesn’t make any mistakes.

4. How does the detection dog warn you if there is danger ahead.

The dog simply puts his nose near the explosive device or trigger, then sits or downs, and does not move while the handler assesses the whole situation. When he marks the indication with cones on the outside of the lane, the handler and the dog will leave and a manual deminer with a prod will clear the lane and a meter square around the mine.

5. How effective is the dog compared to equipment.

Dogs can clear 1000 square meters per day and a deminer is much less.
A deminer sets up working boxes 10 meters square. The dog clears 10 or more boxes per day. Some countries require flails to go over the ground before the dogs- this plus the deminers work as a team.

6. Can a dog be trained and handled by different handlers each day.

No. the dog is not a machine and it is best to leave one dedicated handler to the same dog. They also have to form a relationship between each other, to work as a team.

There are some companies that have two dogs to one handler. I have always found that the handler will favour one dog over the other, so the bond and relationship is not as good with one dog. I personally favour one man and one dog per team.

7. Do you reward the dog each time he indicates, if you do does the dog start to lie to you.

I am assuming you are talking about false indications, this doesn’t happen if you and the dog are working as a team, and the handler recognizes the dogs body language.

8. I have been watching a program on TV where a man was using what looked like a metal detector. Are they more effective than a dog.

In some areas they can be of value, but not on ground with heavy Iron content or a lot of shrapnel laying around. Just these two problems will keep the deminer working all day, where as a dog will not be distracted by this and work faster.

9. Do you select your own dogs.

Yes, we select our own dogs. They are selected by temperament, gun soundness, ball drive, how long it will retrieve the ball and hunt for ever. We use male and spayed females, and all dog have hip x-rays . Our dogs will work 6-8 years as long as they don’t develop any physical problems. When they do retire they are placed with the handlers family.

10. How are dogs trained to find mines.

Are training starts in 1 meter wide lanes and 10 meters long, with holes in these lanes and the mines exposed and then eventually buried. It takes approximately 6- 7 months to train these dogs.

11. Do you do any obedience training with these dogs

We teach the dogs to heel on leash, sit stay and down stay on leash. This is all on leash or long line, as the dogs are never allowed off leash.

12. How expensive are you dogs to buy, and I understand you buy them from different countries.

We buy our dogs in Holland, Belgium, Chez Republic, and the prices vary from $2 to $5 thousand dollars. Not all our handlers first language is English so a lot of the dogs are trained to the handler language, which makes it easier to respond to a situation quicker.

13. Can an IED ( improvised explosive device ) dog be used to find mines.

My understanding is that IED dogs do not find buried mines, they look for exposed explosive devices therefore cross training an MDD (Mine Detection Dog) to find IEDs provide a much safer and more consistant mine detection team.